A statistics chart showing how hard it is to become a full-time NFL player has gone viral.
In any given year, there are more than a million high school football players in the United States, according to the National Football Foundation. Making it to the college ranks is a special reward, but how much more difficult is it to become an NFL player?
The graphic below is from 2015, so the stats and odds have changed slightly. Still, it is a clear reminder of just how hard it is to make it to the NFL to begin with. The odds of staying around in the league beyond four years are also incredibly low.
More than 250 players are selected each year in the NFL Draft (the number varies annually because of compensatory picks). When all is said and done, less than 2 percent of NCAA football players make it to the NFL:
Also Read: Here Is Why NFL Fans Boo NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell At The NFL Draft
It’s just a little bit of perspective to show you how difficult the journey is. That’s why any player who turns pro needs to be thankful for the opportunity, and why folks need to remember at the end of the day that it’s only a game.
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Becoming A Full-Time NFL Player Is A One-In-A-Million Thing
As previously noted, over one million athletes are playing high school football. According to the NCAA, there are a total of 1,696 NFL players combined on all 32 clubs’ rosters.
And when you break it down further, a large portion of those 1,696 players will be out of the NFL within a four years, with many of them not even lasting an entire season.
And then, only a small portion of players who end up playing for five or more years end up putting together lengthy Hall of Fame-caliber careers. That’s why fans oughta appreciate what elite talents like Patrick Mahomes, Aaron Rodgers, Justin Jefferson, Myles Garrett, TJ Watt and Lamar Jackson are doing.
